Foods to Avoid Eating Before Going To Bed

It’s Late in the night and you’re all set to get a good night’s rest, but no matter how hard you try, you can’t seem to shake that gnawing feeling of an empty stomach. But with so many choices in your pantry and fridge, healthy or otherwise, it’s tough to decide which one you should choose. Your night-time food choices can have lasting health ramifications, here are lists of foods to avoid before bed.

So, what are the worst foods that you can eat at night? And what are some alternatives to these foods, just in case you’re craving that specific flavor? Here are the top five foods you shouldn’t reach for if you’re looking to get some quality sleep. Should also be avoided.

Ice Cream

You should avoid ice cream at night because of all of the extra work your digestive system has to do to process the high amount of fat content in the food. Bodybuilding.com says that because of this fat content and your hard-working digestive system, you may experience disturbances in your sleep, and it’s even worse if you’re choosing to eat a flavor of ice cream that contains caffeine, such as coffee or chocolate.

Fried Food

Fried foods may make you feel lethargic after you eat them, but they ultimately will do more harm to your sleep than good.

It can take hours to fully digest something that’s fried and high in fat. When you go to bed right after you’ve consumed these types of foods, you may have stomach pains, cramps, and acid reflux, resulting in poor sleep quality.

Even if you decide to snack on something that’s not deep-fried, it’s very possible that foods such as sausage, steak, potatoes, tortillas, and high-fat cheeses can also cause sleep disruptions because of their fat content. When consuming these foods, heartburn and abdominal bloating can make it very difficult to fall asleep, so be sure to eat them hours before your bedtime.

Spicy foods

Spices like cayenne can get your blood flowing and increase your body temperature which is the opposite of where it needs to go for a good sleep.

Some people even report that eating spicy foods before bed gives them crazy dreams.

Instead of reaching for hot, spicy foods at night, crackers made from nuts or stone-ground sesame seeds with a hummus spread. The hummus may have that boost of flavor you’re looking for, and these healthier alternatives to typical crackers will satisfy your hunger.